Christianity in the Balkans was accepted collectively by families and by tribes. In commemoration of their baptisms, each family or tribe began to celebrate in a particular way to honor the saint on whose day they received the sacrament of Holy Baptism. Saint George is one of the most popular family protectors in Montenegro, as well as in Serbia. The Eastern Orthodox Church honors him highly, wherein he is referred to as a "Great Martyr" (having undergone excruciating torture, often performing miracles and converting unbelievers to Christianity).
May 6th is the significant St. George feast day in the Gregorian calendar which corresponds to the 23rd of April in the Julian calendar. Celebrated in the time of blossoms and the first summer sunshine, St. George day is marked with beautiful traditions including decorating the doors of houses, gates and windows with wild herbs and flowers for the well-being and fertility of your family and household. A festive dinner meal is usually a young lamb baked on a spit as a symbol of purity and innocence identifying the martyr refusing to recant his Christian faith.
Don't be surprised by the long-lasting celebration in your Montenegrin neighborhood: according to the custom, the guests arrive the night before the feast. Instead, take a trip in honor of the Saint to Donji Orahovac, located on the way from Kotor to Perast, and walk up the hill to the village church. Built on a massive piece of rock, the church of St. George was first mentioned in the 15th century, and the frescoes on its walls are dated two centuries later. However, according to the 13th-century legend, the church was founded by the first Serbian king Stefan Nemanjic. Once hunting, he got lost in the Montenegrin mountains, but a shining horseman on a white horse appeared in front of the king and showed him the way. Not doubting St. George saved him, the king built a church in his honor. The St. George church court is also an excellent viewpoint of the Boka bay.
